This invention relates to data networking in general and to the networking of dissimilar electronic devices in the home or office in particular.
As the demand for consumer- and business-related electronic and electronically-controlled devices surges, the challenge is to bring those individual, self-contained devices together into dynamic, transparent, and simply-connected networks to offer more services and resources to the end-users. The value of such devices to the users substantially increases when they can interconnect and interoperate with each other and with the outside world.
Several technology development efforts are under-way to answer this need for more interconnectivity and an easier way to build, manage, and use the services of digital networking. Many are based on the JINI technology of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Built on Sun""s Java technology, JINI is designed to enable users to simply connect and to access services provided by any number of digital devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), televisions, digital cameras, fax machines, cell phones, smart card readers, etc. The goal is to turn the network into a flexible and easilyxe2x80x94administered tool on which resources can be found by human and computational clients. The model that is presented by JINI and other technologies as the paradigm for the intelligent device network is the xe2x80x9cimpromptuxe2x80x9d office, where devices self-register and advertise their services. Users plug-in from anywhere to gain access to publicly-available devices and the services they offer.
While this model may be useful for a network printer or public files on a shared disk, the fact is that most intelligent devices are personal and are not intended to be publicly available. The paradigm therefore must shift to focus on treating intelligent devices as private yet mobile.
This invention is directed to solving these and other problems and disadvantages of the prior art. Generally according to the invention, there is provided a controller for communications-enabled (xe2x80x9cintelligentxe2x80x9d) devices that implements a private network of the devices, facilitating secure communications to and from those devices that have been registered with the controller. Preferably, the security scheme is simple, so that the devices do not need to implement a security scheme that includes special hardware or sophisticated software. Also preferably, the private network carries communications over standard building wiring (e.g., power distribution wiring), or even more preferably is a wireless network, so that the devices can be deployed in a home or an office without need of special wiring or provisioning. Further preferably, the controller connects to an external network (e.g., the Internet or another data network, the telephone network, and/or a cellular network) to enable a user on the external network to communicate with the controller and with devices in the private network, as well as to enable the devices to communicate with external service providers. Illustratively, the Internet, data network, and/or telephone network connections are brought to the controller via a LAN connection and a standard RJ45 LAN connector. Also illustratively, a cellular network connection is an option which can be purchased for the unit. The cellular network connection supports a PPP connection and enables the unit to be called (or to dial out) via the exiting wireless network.
Specifically according to the invention, a controller for communications-enabled devices comprises an input and output port for communicating with a plurality of different communications-enabled devices that communicatively (and preferably wirelessly) connect to the controller, a device registration port (preferably a memory card reader) for receiving registration information for each of the devices, a memory for storing programs and the received device registration information, a processor for executing the stored programs and using the stored information, and a first stored program that causes the controller to communicate with each of the devices via communications that are encoded in a manner that is function of that device""s registration information (preferably encrypted using the device""s identifier as the encryption key). The controller further preferably includes at least one second input and output port for communicating on an external network (e.g., a data network such as the Internet) that communicatively couples to the controller, and a stored program that causes the controller to communicate through the second port on the external network and to communicatively connect at least some of the devices to the external network.
Controller illustratively provides the following features:
Personal, private, device networking
Wireless connectivity
Security
Reliability
Support for device mobility
Integrated access and control from a central location
External remote access and control
Shared centralized functionality (e.g., provisioning, external communications, scheduling)
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention considered with the drawing.